Egypt's religious authorities weigh in on Nile dam crisis
Egypt’s Al-Azhar has published a book asserting Egypt’s rights to the Nile River waters based on Sharia law, raising questions about the role of religious institutions in the crisis over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
CAIRO — Egypt’s Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy has published the first book on Egypt’s rights to the Nile waters from a Sharia point of view, in light of the ongoing dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The book, titled “The Noble Answer in the Sugar of the River and the Distribution of the Nile’s Water,” is displayed at Al-Azhar pavilion at the 53rd Cairo International Book Fair, which began on Jan. 26 and will run until Feb. 6.
In a press statement, Nazir Ayyad, the secretary-general of the Islamic Research Academy, said that the book confirms, based on Sharia, the just Egyptian position on the Nile water issue, and establishes the country’s historical and legal rights in it.
The publication comes amid the faltering negotiations on the GERD between Egypt and Ethiopia, with Cairo seeking a legally binding agreement for the filling and operation of the dam, while Addis Ababa continues to insist on completing construction and filling regardless of negotiations.
